back when joe wrote this law, domestic abuse was too often seen as a private matter. best hidden behind closed doors. victims too often stayed silent or felt that they had to live in shame, that somehow they had done something wrong. even when they went to the hospital or the police station, too often they were sent back home without any real intervention or support. they felt trapped, isolated and as a result domestic violence too often ended in greater tragedy. so one of the -- the great legacies of this law is that it didn't just change the rules. it changed our culture. it empowered people to start speaking up. it made it okay for us as a society to talk about domestic abuse. it made it possible for us as a country to address the problem in a real and meaningful way. and it made clear to victims that they were not alone. that they always had a place to go and they always had people on their side. and today, because members of both parties worked together, we're able to renew that commitment. reauthorizing the violence against women act is something i called for in